Giffords gives pledge at Democratic convention

by Dan Nowicki - Sept. 6, 2012 05:04 PMThe Arizona Republic

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- In what brought delegates to their feet and tears to eyes, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords made a brief appearance Thursday that will likely rank as one of the Democratic National Convention's most memorable moments.

Nearly two years after she was shot by a would-be assassin at a constituent event, she slowly walked to the middle of the stage, and recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Then she flashed a broad smile to the cheering delegates.

Giffords, accompanied by Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, waved and blew kisses to the audience to chants of "Gabby! Gabby! Gabby!"

Giffords' speech skills were strong as she lead the congregation in the pledge. One arm remained weak at her side.

Giffords, 42, was shot in the head the morning of Jan. 8, 2011, one of 13 people injured when gunfire erupted at a "Congress on Your Corner" event outside a Safeway grocery store near Tucson. Six people died.

This was the second time since the shooting that Giffords has recited the Pledge of Allegiance in public.

On the first anniversary of the shooting, Giffords, was a surprise guest at a candlelight vigil in Tucson, where she used her left hand to lift her right hand to her heart before leading a crowd of about 3,500 people in the pledge. It was her first public appearance since the near-fatal assassination attempt.

Then, she emphasized the final words: "Indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Her words were clear, deliberate and cheered by the crowd.

Giffords has made only a few other public appearances. She returned to Congress in August 2011 to cast her vote on a measure to raise the debt ceiling, made a stop in January at a Tucson food bank renamed in her honor and a campaign event this summer for Ron Barber, a former staff member who also was injured in the massacre and was her hand-picked successor.

Barber won a special election in June and now is running for a full term.

She and her husband, former NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, also have traveled since she left Congress on Jan. 25 to focus on her rehabilitation. And they recently moved back to Tucson from Houston, where she was flown 13 days after she was shot.

She underwent extensive therapy at the TIRR Memorial Hermann hospital there, most recently on an outpatient basis.

She was able to travel on occasion, most notably to watch the launch of Kelly's final Space Shuttle mission in May 2011.